Warren County NJ Tourism presents BIG CITY GETAWAY

daisy airgUn mUseUm

202 W Walnut St, rogerS, ar 72756

479-986-6873 • www.daisymuseum.com

Words & Images: Joe Murfin

When I was a wee lad – my uncle talked my mother into letting him buy me a Daisy #95 air rifle.

To him it was a start into manhood and responsibility.

To my mother and grandmother, he might as well have been handing me an M-16, with a M203 grenade launcher strapped below!

Then there is Ralphie, and Christmas Story.

You can’t mention BB Guns, or Air Rifles without somebody HAVING to mention this film. Like we hadn’t heard it before?

Statistically, falling is still the #1 culprit of kids getting hurt in the USA - and with a bit of supervision and a pair of safety glasses, air rifles barely scratch the stats. So let us embrace one of the most enduring and iconic toys of American Childhood – The Daisy Air Rifle; and the best place to do that is in the small burg of Rogers, Arkansas. BR

The abundance of spectacular motorcycle rides in Arkansas has been a well-kept secret among those who escape here for a motorcycle road trip.

Daytrip Ideas To Get Out Of The Daily Grind

From the wide-open Delta plains to the twisty mountain backroads, the riding here is phenomenal and the scenery is like nowhere else. With routes that compete with famous rides across the country, you’ll need to add an Arkansas road trip to your bucket list.

There are a lot of big reasons to visit Rogers, Arkansas, near Beaver Lake in the foothills of the Ozark. One of the biggest ones stands 25-feet tall.

It’s referred to as the World’s Largest Daisy BB Gun and it sits on the sidewalk and is anchored to, appropriately, the Rogers Daisy Airgun Museum. Daisy Manufacturing was founded as the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company in Plymouth, Michigan, in 1882. It made windmills of steel when others made them of wood. The steel windmills were not well received, and in 1888, the company was considering bankruptcy. Its president was presented with a prototype steel BB gun, which he shot into his wastebasket and later fired through a wood shingle. He exclaimed, “Boy, that’s a daisy.” According to legend, the gun, named Daisy, was given as a premi- um item to farmers who bought a windmill. By 1889, the manufacture of windmills was discontinued in favor of airguns, and in 1895, the company’s name was changed to Daisy Manufacturing.

Seeking a more centrally located manufacturing facility, Daisy moved to Rogers in 1958. The state-of-the-art plant was built south of town. Eight years later, a one-story brick and glass addition was built to house a collection of antique airguns. This first Daisy Museum in Rogers was dedicated on September 21, 1966. The museum consisted of six upright cases and two flat display cases housing antique airguns from Europe as well as an excellent representation of the company’s product, dating to the 1880s.

In 1997, when Daisy Manufacturing began outsourcing the manufacturing of parts, an assembly operation was established in Neosho, Missouri. Daisy’s headquarters remained in a Rogers industrial park. Recognizing that the industrial park was not an adequate home for the museum, the company sought a different location. An old bank building at 114 South 1stStreet became available. In March 2000, First Lady Janet Huckabee, “shot the ribbon” to open the new Daisy Museum.

On October 25, 2004, the museum was relocated to the corner of 2nd and Walnut streets. This historic building, dating to 1896 and known as the former Rexall Drug building, was selected for the high visibility to tourists traveling U.S. 62 and visiting historic downtown Rogers.

Today, the museum houses an expanded collection of airguns and displays of antique furnishings, posters, postcards, photos, letters, advertisements, catalogs, promotional materials, and World War II items. The first Daisy Red Ryder BB gun ever made, a protypical gun, given to the illustrator of the Red Ryder comics, is on display – along with an example of every change in that model’s history. There’s a story about two golf balls, marked Daisy on one side and Victor on the other, and how they ended up on the surface of the moon. And, you can read about how Daisy got into the firearm business; making a caseless ammunition .22 cal. rifle, rimfire .22 cal. rifles, and even .50 cal. sniper rifles. The mission of the non-profit museum is to preserve and protect the collection of airguns and artifacts related to the history of Daisy and to make it available to the public. In addition, the museum serves a growing community of collectors of Daisy guns and memorabilia.

Daisy’s products are available in the gift shop. The museum also creates and markets limited-edition airguns and other collectibles. When in the region make some time to take in the Daisy Airgun Museum… Tell them Ralphie sent you… ,

miss moLLy’s inn Bed & BreakFast

4141 Main St, ChinCoteague, Va 23336

757-336-6686 • missmollys-inn.com

Photography DSC Photography

We like a good story. We love a great story. For many, many years we have always found a reason to sneak down along the middle of the Delmarva Coast to the small island of Chincoteague. But a bit of history on this little spit of land…

Until European explorers possessed the island in the late 17th century, the Chincoteague Indians used it as a place to gather shellfish, but are not known to have lived there; Chincoteague Island lacked suitable soil for their agriculture. The island’s name derives from those early visitors: by one popular tale,Chincoteague meant “Beautiful land across the water” in their language.

Although a few people were living on the island by 1700, it was primarily used as a place to graze livestock. This was probably the origin of the famed Feral Poniesthat long roamed in the area. They are no longer present in the wild on Chincoteague Island. During the American Revolution, the islanders supported the new nation’s bid for independence, and in the American Civil War, the islanders supported the Union despite being located in a seceded state, yet the war touched Chincoteague only lightly. Oysters became a major industry in the postwar years. Chincoteague’s relative isolation ended in 1876 with the arrival of the railroad in Franklin City, just across the bay from the island, and the initiation of a dedicated steamboat service between the two settlements. Nevertheless, contemporary visitors found Chincoteague primitive. In 1925; the new volunteers took over the traditional Pony Penning, and soon had ponies from nearby Assateague Island swim the narrow channelbetween the two islands as part of that roundup. The carnival, pony swim, and subsequent auction constitute a highlight of the town’s calendar, attracting tens of thousands to the island. Today as you roll in over Virginia Road 175, you first have to pass NASA’s Wallops Island – our new Space Center.

This region is not so primitive anymore, is it?

But, it still has a wonderful charm – all its own; and it is that charm that has made Chincoteague one of the best destinations on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, but there was one other part to this story that brought this island into the national spotlight - The success of Marguerite Henry’s 1947 children’s book Misty of Chincoteague, and its sequels helped publicize Chincoteague, as did the 1961 film Misty.

Let us tell you about a delightful Bed & Breakfast that was a most important piece of Chincoteague’s history.

Marguerite Henry came to Chincoteague in the summer of 1946, with little information about the island and an event called Pony Penning. She stayed at Miss Molly’s Inn as her home away from home while gathering information. She spent afternoons on the porch with Miss Molly and Captain Jack, discussing ideas for the book. Miss Molly recommended she get in touch with the Beebe family, who raised Chincoteague Ponies at the Beebe Ranch. There at the ranch, Marguerite met Misty. It was love at first sight. With the stories, friendships, love of the island, and horses she found here on Chincoteague, the book nearly wrote itself.

Nearly 75 years later – while the world hunkered down there was a wedding.

You would have to think that any such event that year would be memorable – but this one even more!

Meet your Innkeepers…

Renata & David Murphy took their vows and looked for an easy, safe, and happy honeymoon.

You know how Backroads’ felt about all that – good for them. They began this journey like yours will, as guests of Miss Molly’s Inn. The two fell in love with Miss Molly’s Inn, and after discovering it was for sale, they lost no time in purchasing it.

Today it has become one of the most popular places to stay on the island, and certainly one of the prettiest.

We have strolled by it many times… it is time for a visit.

The Murphy’s have six lovely rooms at the inn; all comfortably finished with an airy feel. The Miss Molly, the Bay Room, the Upper Deck, the Mazza Family Suite, and the Captain Jack’s Room (sorry, no Billy Joel), and one very special room – the Marguerite Henry Room. This is the grand room where Marguerite Henry stayed and wrote the famous book “Misty of Chincoteague” in 1946. This room’s luxurious King size bed, lace curtains, comfortable sitting area, and full bath set the stage for rest and romance.

Awake to freshly brewed coffee before a lovely 3-course breakfast. Homemade snacks and drinks are available all day. Grab some beach gear and a packed lunch for some sun time, or enjoy afternoon English Tea at the Inn Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday.

We cannot talk enough about this part of the east coast of the United States. We fell in love with the region years ago and will keep coming back for years more.

If you are looking for a sweet escape, then point your wheels along the coast of Virginia and Miss Molly’s Inn – you will be more than delighted. ,